Sleep Loss Can Hike Anger When Frustrated

[Judi Lynn]

By Rick Nauert PhD
~ 2 min read

New research shows that losing just a couple hours of sleep at night can leave you with a short fuse. That anger in turn can make it more difficult to deal with frustrating or annoying circumstances.

Other studies have shown a link between sleep and anger, but questions remained about whether sleep loss was to blame or if anger was responsible for disrupted sleep, said Dr. Zlatan Krizan, professor of psychology at Iowa State.

“Despite typical tendencies to get somewhat used to irritating conditions – an uncomfortable shirt or a barking dog – sleep-restricted individuals actually showed a trend toward increased anger and distress, essentially reversing their ability to adapt to frustrating conditions over time. No one has shown this before,” Krizan said.

Study participants were randomly split into two groups: one maintained their normal sleep routine and the second restricted their sleep by two to four hours each night for two nights. Those who maintained averaged almost seven hours of sleep a night, while the restricted group got about four and a half hours each night. The difference reflects sleep loss we regularly experience in everyday life, Krizan said.

More:
https://psychcentral.com/news/2018/12/12/sleep-loss-can-hike-anger-when-frustrated/140763.html

[Glamrock]

1. Thanks Capt. obvious!

No offense intended Judi. It just seems obvious to me...

[Javaman]

2. huh, who knew I could get grumpy from lack of sleep.